Economic stabilization

Railroad expansion, the end of the Civil War, and the removal of the Native Americans opened the prairie to settlement by massive waves of immigrants from the eastern states and from Europe. By 1900 claims to the land had filled the state, but the population showed a slight decline in the decade that followed because the children of the initial settlers had moved out of the state. The wide use of barbed wire permitted diversified agriculture, and the draining of wetlands began the development of efficient agricultural production. Corn (maize) formed the basis of Iowa’s agriculture, with nearly all of the crop being fed to livestock.

World War I created short-term demands for maximum production, generating high prices, and since then the state has had recurring agricultural surpluses, low prices, and high land values. The various economic panics and depressions of the 19th and 20th centuries were only temporary impediments to this pattern of growth. During the 20th century, Iowa politicians appeared most prominently on the national scene when farm crises were major issues: Iowan Henry A. Wallace served as secretary of agriculture during the first two terms of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration before he became Roosevelt’s vice president in his third term.

The last significant case of exploitation of natural resources occurred in the coalfields of southern Iowa, beginning in the mid-19th century and reaching its peak in the first two decades of the 20th century. Most of the coal was quickly exhausted, and the miners moved on, leaving behind decaying towns and a deteriorating landscape.

Economic and societal changes

Agriculture continued to thrive in Iowa throughout the 20th century. Greater productivity meant lower prices and even keener competition between farmers. However, rural Iowa remained a place of out-migration not only because more farmers’ children chose not to farm but also because the less-successful farms were going out of business. The consequence was fewer farmers and larger farms; the average farm was about 350 acres (142 hectares) at the end of the 20th century, an increase from about 170 acres (69 hectares) in 1950.

By the turn of the 21st century, the service industry had become the state’s dominant economic sector, as Iowans faced the new millennium still fiercely proud of their agricultural heritage while embracing a more diversified economy focused on biotechnology and research and development. The state became more ethnically diverse, mainly because of the increasing number of Hispanic residents. Also, Iowa became more competitive politically when Democrats surpassed Republicans in voter registration, ending the Republican Party’s traditional dominance in the state. Changing social attitudes were reflected in a 2009 ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court that overturned a state law banning same-sex marriage. Yet at the same time, many Iowans opposed to the ruling called for a constitutionalamendment that would limit marriage to heterosexual couples.